2020 Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento

What's the difference?

Practical and refined, with a huge focus on safety, and a great ownership package, the Hyundai Santa Fe V6, even in entry-level Active trim, is a quality seven-seat, family SUV option. That said, value-for-money lags key competitors, and the big, smooth V6 is thirsty relative to smaller capacity turbo fours more common in the category.

The new Kia Sorento is expected to arrive before the end of 2020. If you can wait (and I would) you’ll be buying an all-new SUV which will look modern and have the latest tech and come with even better advanced safety equipment.

That said, Kia will be doing some very tempting deals on the current Sorento in ‘run-out’ as dealers clear the way for the new version. And that’s where you could pick up this seven-seater SUV, which set the benchmark in the segment, at a bargain price.

Hyundai has a massive design card up its sleeve in the shape of Peter Schreyer, the person responsible for development of the look and feel of Hyundai and Kia vehicles.

A car design rock star, Schreyer has built a stellar team that’s managed to catapult the two main Korean car brands into the top tier, giving each a distinctive, confident personality.

At close to 4.8m long, just under 1.9m wide, and a touch less than 1.7m tall, the Santa Fe is big rather than huge, and within a classic SUV profile stands apart thanks to its large, black, egg crate grille, with slim, sweeping upper ‘positioning’ lights defined by LED DRLs either side, and an enormous, angular aperture for the main (bi-xenon) headlights underneath.

A sharp character line running the length of the car’s shoulder, conspicuously raised and chiseled outer edges on the bonnet, and long strakes on the hood itself add visual interest without being too busy.

The standard 17-inch alloys don’t exactly fill the wheelarches (18s and 19s are standard on higher-tier variants), and the rear view is less recognisably Hyundai than the front, with irregular, vaguely boomerang-shaped tail-lights the only element not conforming to a generic family SUV treatment.

Inside, the cabin is neat and tidy without pushing the envelope too far. The dashboard follows a layered approach, accentuated by subtle colour differences between a gently curving top, protruding centre, and lower console area.

Key elements are defined by bright metal-look surrounds, which also serve to highlight the fact there are several different shapes across the fascia, one being the relatively modest 7.0-inch media touchscreen, standing proud of the centre dashtop. 

Overall, the interior is user-friendly, but not as cohesive and unified as some. 

I remember when this current Sorento was unveiled in 2014 . It was the latest Kia, in a range-wide overhaul, to be reshaped by former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, and stunned pretty much everybody with its high-end looks.

That the Sorento still look gorgeous six years later is testament to his styling guidance. Sure, the rounded front-end is beginning to date as the faces of many SUVs move to a more chiseled and aggressive look, but the tailgate, with its angular tail-light treatment, is very much ‘on trend’ now.

The red brake calipers are a dead giveaway that the Sorento you’re looking at is a GT-Line.

Where the Sorento is showing its age the most is inside. The screen is getting small by today’s standards, and the digital instrument cluster isn’t as sophisticated others in the segment.

There's also the climate control with its orange LCD display, there’s no head-up display, and the dash styling and its use of dark spongy materials looks old now.

Yet, the interior is stylish, plush and premium, with a superb fit and finish. Another reason why the Sorento has been a standout all these years.

If the GT-Line was a Christmas tree you’d barely be able to see its branches for the decorations. There’s gloss black trim around the console and the front and rear doors, alloy pedal covers, LED interior lights, GT-Line embossed seats and illuminated alloy door sills.

The GT-Line comes with a perforated leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, too.   

How big is the Sorento? Let’s look at the dimensions. The Sorento is 4800mm end-to-end, 1890mm wide and 1690mm tall. That’s not as huge as a Mazda CX-9, but still large.

A 2765mm wheelbase is sizeable relative to the Santa Fe’s overall length, the driver and front passenger enjoying plenty of space as well as multiple storage spaces including, a large lidded storage box (doubling as a centre armrest) between the seats, big door pockets (with room for full-size bottles), twin cupholders in the centre console, a small oddments tray ahead of the gearshift, an overhead sunglasses compartment, and a decent glove box.

Connectivity and power options run to a 12-volt (180W) socket, two USB ports (one for media connection, and another for charging only), plus an ‘aux-in’ audio plug.

Moving to the centre row and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I enjoyed more than adequate head and legroom, with enough shoulder room for three adults abreast for short journeys. Kids on a road trip will be fine, and adjustable air vents for rear-seaters is always a plus.

Here, storage includes twin cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, map pockets in the front seatbacks, an oddments tray below the centre air events, and lengthy door bins, again with space for bottles. There are also two USB  power sockets to keep devices charged and occupants happy.

Getting in an out of the third row seat is reasonably awkward for grown-ups, despite the centre seat folding and sliding forward easily, but a cinch for the pre--teen kids that will inevitably occupy it.

The centre seats slide, so a legroom compromise can be reached between the rear rows, but no matter how far that goes in favour of the ‘way back’ seat, it’s very tight on head and legroom for adults. This is a small person zone.

There’s plenty of storage with a deep tray on the left-hand side, and a pair of cupholders on the right, as well as a 12-volt outlet and rear A/C control with a vent. Nice.

Then the boot offers 547 litres of space with all seats up. Drop the 50/50 split-folding third row (via buttons in the boot space), and that number grows to 625 litres. Lower the 60/40 split centre row, and you have 1625 litres at your disposal, with a completely flat floor. There are six tie-down points, a luggage net, and a small under floor storage area, which is handy for wet swimming gear or muddy boots.

Towing capacity is 2000kg for a braked trailer (interestingly, the same rating as the AWD diesel model), and 750kg unbraked, and the spare is a full-size alloy.

The Sorento is a proper seven-seat SUV in that even adults my (191cm) size can sit in the third row comfortably. And that’s with the second row adjusted so I can sit behind my driving position without my knees touching the back of the front seat.

That said, nothing beats a people mover such as the Kia Carnival for a third row with easy access, and without that claustrophobic feeling that creeps in when I sit in the third-row of any seven-seat SUV.

On board the Sorento are  three 12-volt outlets (two up front and one second row), and two USB ports (in the first and second rows). Both are Type-A, rather than the newer, and increasingly common Type-C version.

Many SUVs now have more USB ports, and some all the way back to the third row, such as in the Holden Acadia.

Climate control is dual-zone for the front but the second and third rows have directional air vents with fan speed adjusters.  

Cabin storage is good with a large centre console bin, cupholders everywhere including the third row, and big door pockets

Those rear doors are large and tall, and open wide making for an easy entry and exit, although I haven’t met a seven-seat SUV which is easy for me to climb into the third row, and the Sorento is no exception.

If you have all rows of seating in place the boot area has a cargo capacity of 142 litres, but if you fold the third row flat that increases to 605 litres.

The GT-Line is the most expensive Sorento you can buy with its list price of $59,490. At the time of writing Kia’s website shows that you can have a GT-Line AWD diesel for $61,990 drive-away and you can bet that as we get closer to the new-gen Sorento arriving (in the second half of 2020) the price is likely to be dropped further.

Coming standard are leather seats with GT-Line embossed badging, eight-way power adjustable, heated and ventilated seats up front, heated second-row seats, a power tailgate, roof rails, LED tail-lights, 8.0-inch touchscreen, 10-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, digital radio, dual-zone climate control, proximity unlocking, tinted rear windows and a panoramic sunroof.

Is it good value? Absolutely, but there’s a ‘but’. See, you’re getting nearly every Kia feature imaginable… for the world of 2015.

But, tech has changed in the past five years and we’re seeing more sophisticated features on rivals, such as the head-up display in Mazda’s CX-9 which comes standard on the Sport grade, that lists for just $45K.

Really though, the GT-Line is in direct competition with the CX-9 GT that lists for $65,720. Other rivals include the Toyota Kluger GXL which is $58,950, and the Holden Acadia, which is $57,490 for the LTZ.

The Santa Fe V6 is powered by the Hyundai Group’s ‘Lambda II MPi’ all-alloy, 3.5-litre, naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine.

Featuring direct-injection, variable valve timing (on the exhaust and inlet side) and a timing chain (rather than a belt) it’s claimed to produce 206kW at 6300rpm, and 336Nm at 5000rpm.

The engine is manufactured in Montgomery, Alabama, as are US market Sante Fes, although Australian cars are assembled in Hyundai’s main production plant in Ulsan, South Korea.

Drive goes to the front wheels only via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.2-litre turbo-diesel version of the Santa Fe is all-wheel drive, with that engine’s low-down torque delivery making it better suited to towing and off-highway work.

If you want an all-wheel drive Sorento GT-Line then you’ll need the version with the diesel engine, as tested. There is a petrol version but it’s a front-wheel drive SUV.

The 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine makes 147kW and 441Nm, which is plenty of grunt and you’ll have a braked towing capacity of 2000kg at your disposal. An eight-speed auto does a seamless job of shifting gears.

I found the engine quiet and smooth for a diesel, and while the power output may look low compared to the V6 petrol’s 336kW the torque is more than enough to pull this large SUV.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 10.6L/100km, the V6 emitting 249g/km of CO2 in the process.

Over around 250km of city, suburban and freeway running, we recorded 11.3L/100km, which isn’t exactly miserly, but unusually close to the claim, and equates to a real-word range of just under 630km..

Fuel required is standard 91 RON unleaded, which helps, and you’ll need 71 litres of it to fill the tank.

Kia says the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the Sorento GT-Line AWD we tested uses 7.2L/100km over a combination of open and urban driving.

My testing took in 152km of mainly suburban and city driving, and the trip computer was telling me it was using an average of 9.3L/100km. That’s not bad at all considering there weren’t many motorway kays in there.

Those frustrated that they can’t have the GT-Line with all-wheel drive and a petrol engine can take some comfort knowing the V6 uses about 3.0L/100km more fuel than the diesel engine.

When you attach a turbo, or turbos, to a car engine, the result will be pulling power, and typically plenty of it, with the peak output arriving low in the rev range.

Well, there’s not a single turbo to be found under this Santa Fe’s bonnet, and despite its relatively large, 3.5-litre capacity, the V6 sitting in there coughs up it’s maximum 336Nm of torque way up at 5000rpm. 

To put that in context, the turbo-diesel Toyota Fortuner pumps out 450Nm from just 1600rpm, right in the sweet spot for around town driving.

But, that’s not to say the V6 feels puny, far from it. The upside of a naturally aspirated engine is smooth, linear throttle response, and flicking the Santa Fe into the ‘Sport’ setting (‘Comfort’, ‘Eco’, and ‘Smart’ are also available) puts the polished eight-speed auto in a more energetic mode, keeping the 1720kg seven-seater on the boil.

The suspension layout is strut front, multi-link rear, and Hyundai Australia scores many brownie points for tuning its cars for local conditions. 

Once again, ride quality is great, helped in no small part by the Active’s comfy 235/65 Hankook Ventus Prime 3X rubber sitting on the standard 17-inch alloy rims.

Unlike many of its competitors, the Santa Fe relies on hydraulic (rather than electric) assistance for its rack and pinion steering, and the result is swift response and good road feel.

The driver’s seating position is excellent, and ergonomically the Santa Fe keeps things, clear, clean and simple. It’s a relaxed drive, but the Sante Fe will respond well if mum or dad gets a rush of blood and decides to hurry through a few of their favourite corners.

With that, and this car’s 2.0-tonne towing capacity in mind, braking performance becomes even more important. And with ventilated 320mm discs at the front and solid 305mm rotors at the rear, stopping power is strong with nicely progressive pedal feel.

It’s also worth calling out the ‘Hyundai Auto Link’ app, which connects the car to your smartphone, tracking your driving style and fuel efficiency, monitoring the car’s condition and registering any faults. Yes, it’s Big Brother, but one that cares.

Under the heading of ‘Any Other Business’, we like the extendable front sun visors that help keep sun coming in from the side, out of your eyes. The chunky cloth seat trim looks a bit stuffy, but feels great. And the steering wheel controls for phone, audio, cruise and other functions are super easy to use. 

For a large seven-seat SUV the Sorento is easy and enjoyable to drive compared to many of its rivals.

The Holden Acadia feels like an enormous truck, the Nissan Pathfinder is so floaty it can be like a boat bobbing about at sea sometimes, while the Mazda CX-9 is excellent to drive but the visibility isn’t great.

The Sorento has none of these problems . It’s easy to see out of, has Australian-tuned suspension, which is comfortable but offers impressive handling, and feels a lot smaller to drive than it looks.

If there are any negatives it’s that the diesel isn’t as smooth as the petrol engine and has a small amount of lag in its response, but those aren’t deal breakers.   

The Kia Sorento scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017.

Only the GT-Line comes with LED headlights which move to shine ahead of you as you turn corners along with safety technology that’s not standard on the other grades such as blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert and a 360 degree camera.

Then there’s the safety equipment all Sorentos feature including, AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, reversing camera, plus front and rear parking sensors.

For child seats you’ll find three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row.

A full-sized spare alloy wheel is under the car as you can see in the images.

Hyundai offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty, with 24/7 roadside assistance included for up to 10 years when the car is serviced at an authorised dealer.

Service is scheduled every 12 months/15,000km, with a pre-paid service plan available as follows - three years (up to 45,000km) $1050 / four years (up to 60,000km) $1440 / five years (up to 75,000km) $1770, the latter working out to $354 per year..
 

The Sorento is covered by Kia’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended at 12 month/15,000km intervals and is capped at $346 for the first service, $555 for the second, $404 for the third, $707 for the fourth, $389 for the fifth, $665 for the sixth and $413 for the seventh/70,000km visit.